Watson Aims to End Season on High Note

Chonburi, Thailand, December 4: Masters Tournament champion Bubba Watson wants to end his banner season on a high note by winning the US$1 million Thailand Golf Championship which starts on Thursday.

The swashbuckling American lefthander arrived for the Asian Tour showpiece at Amata Spring Country Club in confident mood, declaring that he did not fly to Thailand to soak in the accolades after winning his first career Major in April.

“I’m here to win. That’s everybody’s goal. I’m not here to wave at everybody,” said the world number 12.

Watson will line up in the second edition of the Thailand Golf Championship alongside many giants of the game including title holder Lee Westwood, 2011 Masters winner Charl Schwartzel, Ryder Cup stars Sergio Garcia and Nicholas Colsaerts, 2011 British Open champion Darren Clarke, Ryo Ishikawa, PGA Tour winner Hunter Mahan and eight of the top-10 players from the Asian Tour’s Order of Merit led by number one Thaworn Wiratchant.

After arriving in Bangkok on Tuesday morning, Watson found out that the mantle as the reigning Masters champion did not bring him instant recognition when he attempted to play the Royal Sports Club course, which is a private course located next to the official hotel.

“I flew in here and felt tired. I just wanted to get some energy levels up. I didn’t know how private it (the club) was and it took some hard work to get in there!” said Watson. “I played about 10 holes. I just had a seven iron in hand.”

Watson will have with a bagful of new equipment which he will put in play at the magnificent Amata Spring and into the 2013 PGA Tour season which starts in several weeks.

“Pretty much everything is brand new since China and I’m trying to get ready for next year. I worked on it last week (Chevron World Challenge) and finished ninth, and it’s feeling better. I missed some putts and hit some bad shots last week but I’m looking forward to the momentum of this week and trying to play some good golf,” he said.

Watson defeated South African Louis Oosthuizen, who withdrew from the Thailand Golf Championship due to a stomach ailment, in a play-off to win the Masters Tournament. He produced a remarkable recovery shot from deep in the woods to save par and win the green jacket.

“If you look back, all golfers want to win. Their first goal is to win a golf tournament that year. For me, I’ve won a tournament in the last three years and to win a Major is a bonus. It’s a dream come true. You expect to win one but to actually do it, it’s actually very emotional and after doing it, I obviously cried a lot,” he said.

“This year was a big year for me, a big stepping stone for me to prove that I can compete at the highest level. As my career grows, I feel I need to come out and play. I played in France a couple of years ago, China for the first time a few weeks ago, and now in Thailand,” he said.

Spanish star Sergio Garcia, who played a starring role in the Ryder Cup for Europe in September, expects a stern challenge when he makes his second appearance in the Thailand Golf Championship, which is the Kingdom’s premier golf championship due to the quality of the field.

“I think it has been a good season. Winning in U.S. again (Wyndham Championship) was nice. The Ryder Cup obviously topped it off. That was a great way to kind of finish the year. Hopefully I can play here and have a good week in the Iskandar Johor Open (in Malaysia) next week,” said Garcia, who is ranked 22nd in the world.

“I think this year the course is going to be a lot wetter. Unless it dries up, it is going to be a little bit softer. The rough is quite thick so it might be a bit longer. It is possible to shoot some decent scores but if it gets windy and you find the rough, you will struggle.”

World number 25 Mahan recently underwent corrective laser eye surgery and hopes to have a clearer view of birdies and eagles this week. “It is good to see clearer! The vision is a little bit sharper but I don’t know if it will lead to lower scores or anything. I feel good from last week (tied ninth) and I feel excited. I expect to play well but this is a great field. I have to play well to compete,” said Mahan, who won the WGC-Accenture Match Play and Houston Open this season.

Three-time Asian Tour number one Thongchai Jaidee, who led the stars on a tuk tuk ride during the media photocall this afternoon, said: “The Thailand Golf Championship is good for golf in Thailand. It was a fantastic tournament last year. I hope this year will be better. I want to try and play well this week,” he said.

Thailand Golf Championship tickets are available at Thaiticketmajor at Baht 300 each for Round 1 and 2 (December 6 and 7). The price for Round 3 (December 8) is Baht 400, and for the final day on December 9 the price is Baht 500. A 4-day package ticket is only Baht 800. For more information, please call 02-262-3456 or visit www.thaiticketmajor.com

Thailand Golf Championship will be broadcasting through Asian Tour Global TV and TrueVisions and you can follow the updated news on:

website www.thailandgolfchampionship.com

facebook www.facebook.com/ThailandGolfChampionship

Twitter: @ThaiGolfChamps

About the Asian Tour

As the official sanctioning body for professional golf in Asia, the Asian Tour leads the development of golf across the region, enhancing the careers of its members while maintaining a commitment to the integrity of the game. The Asian Tour, through its membership of the International Federation of PGA Tours, is the only recognised pan-Asian professional golf tour in Asia. This unique feature positions the Asian Tour at the pinnacle of professional golf in Asia; providing its events with Official World Ranking status. Tour Partners include Rolex (Official Timekeeper), Starwood Hotels and Resorts (Official Hotels and Resorts), Abacus (Official Apparel Partner), Cityneon (Official Event Overlay Partner), Inetol Headwear (Official Headwear Supplier), Singha Beer (Official Beer), BlackBerry (Official Communications Partner) and Srixon (Official Ball). The Asian Tour has offices in Kuala Lumpur and Singapore.

The Asian Tour logo is a trademark of Asian Tour Limited. Copyright in the logo and other content on this website is owned by Asian Tour Limited or used under license from third parties. All rights reserved.